CLINICAL-DISEASE ASSOCIATED WITH SIMIAN AGENT-8 INFECTION IN THE BABOON

Simian agent 8 (SA8) is an alphaherpesvirus that was first reported as a spontaneous natural infection in a captive baboon colony in 1988, I t was first isolated from an African vervet monkey in 1958 and was cla ssified as a simian agent. Simian agent 8 was later isolated fi-ann a baboon rectal swab specimen In 1969 and from an oral lesion in a verve t monkey in 1972, Restriction endonuclease analysis was used to identi fy the virus as SA8. In a 1-year period, 70 baboons housed in two outs ide 6-acre breeding corrals developed lesions principally on the genit alia and oral cavity. The incidence was the same for males and females , with recurrence rate, severity of the lesions, and duration for the lesions to resolve being greater in the female baboons, Lesions involv ing tile month, tongue, and lips were most commonly observed in the ju venile population, The lesions tended to stare as small multiple papul es or vesicles, which advanced to large pustular or ulcerative areas, Using an every-other-day treatment regimen consisting of Nolvasan clea ning and procaine penicillin G injections, it took an average of 14 to 21 days for the! lesions to resolve totally, Thirty-seven percent of the baboons with herpetic lesions experienced another episode of SA8 i nfection, usually within 1 year of development of the primary lesion, Several complications have been documented to be associated with SAS i nfections, Partial or total vaginal obstruction is most common, leadin g to impaired breeding performance and pyelonephritis. A vaginal corre ctive survival procedure has been developed to allow these females to return to productive breeding status within the colony, Penile urethra l obstruction also causing pyelonephritis, was observed in the male ba boons. A case of sciatic neuritis was reported in a baboon that presen ted with self mutilation of the foot; viral isolation revealed the eti ologic agent to be SA8, Four female baboons with chronic SA8 infection s went on to develop perineal neoplasms, This is an economically impor tant disease entity in captive baboons because it causes severe morbid ity, decreased reproductive performance, and ultimately death in 1% of the baboon colony each year, The baboon is a promising animal model i n which to study genital herpes as it relates to disease in human bein gs.